Dolly Parton - Run, Rose, Run (2022) [Official Digital Download]

Dolly Parton tends to release records for a reason. Unlike her Seventies contemporary Willie Nelson, who, at a dozen years her senior, records albums for no other purpose than to suit his own whims, Parton’s release schedule over the past half-dozen years has largely served as an extension of her unceasing global brand: 2016’s Pure & Simple, her last album of adult originals not directly tied to a larger piece of Dolly multimedia, launched a worldwide tour and kickstarted the ongoing Parton revival. In the years since, there have been a series of kids records (2017’s I Believe in You), soundtrack albums (Dumplin’), and holiday collections (2020’s A Holly Dolly Christmas).

The latest Parton project is Run, Rose, Run, a bluegrass-tinged set of originals that serves, naturally, as a companion to the forthcoming mystery novel Parton co-authored with best-seller James Patterson. As a bonus add-on to the book, Run, Rose, Run works far better than anyone could hope for: the songs themselves, all written by Parton, are sturdy studies in traditional country, with several unexpected stunners. But Run, Rose, Run, which feels mired by its tossed-off production, falls short of thriving on its own terms as a studio album.

First, the highlights: This album shows off Parton’s dexterity — as vocalist and writer — in a wide range of country and roots styles, from the traditional Eighties-style duet “Demons” with Ben Haggard (Merle’s son), to the chilling Appalachian balladry of “Blue Bonnet Breeze,” to the fast-paced Stanley Brothers-indebted mountain music of “Dark Knight, Bright Future.” It’s a thrill to hear Parton, at 76, so firmly in command of her own artistry.

TRACKLIST

01. Dolly Parton - Run
02. Dolly Parton - Big Dreams and Faded Jeans
03. Dolly Parton - Demons (feat. Ben Haggard)
04. Dolly Parton - Driven
05. Dolly Parton - Snakes In the Grass
06. Dolly Parton - Blue Bonnet Breeze
07. Dolly Parton - Woman Up (And Take It Like a Man)
08. Dolly Parton - Firecracker
09. Dolly Parton - Secrets
10. Dolly Parton - Lost and Found (feat. Joe Nichols)
11. Dolly Parton - Dark Night, Bright Future
12. Dolly Parton - Love or Lust (feat. Richard Dennison)



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